Winter Season Wrap-Up Team by Team

3/24/2022

Though the annual collegiate March Madness period is upon us, the 2021-2022 winter prep season has come to a close. The winter saw a New England repeat championship title earned by the Boys Swim team and a strong run by Girls Basketball to earn a Runners-up trophy in both the New England and Fairchester league tournaments. Regardless of where they finished or the silverware they took home, the overwhelming consensus by Hornet athletes was that the season was an overwhelming success for at least one reason alone - the chance to compete again and in front of family, fans, and friends.

Ice Hockey:

One team that finished under the radar but thrived on the opportunity for competition was Ice Hockey. They notched only a few wins; however, the relatively young squad consistently proved their mettle; and the main reason for coming up short was running out of gas at the end of the third period due to a lack of numbers and depth. However, the team members expressed great satisfaction and pride for their efforts. “Getting better and trying to win the school its first games in a couple of years was always something in the front of our minds, and we always made sure to go hard during practice,” commented top scorer Jake Cacase. “But the best thing about playing with these guys was being together every single day, making new friends, and competing on the ice.” In addition to Jake, the Hornets got most of their offense from sophomore Danny Vining and seniors Matteo Romero and Colin Gore-Grimes. “D-Hawk was our fastest skater,” said Cacase, “and C-Gor was our crossbar specialist,” he added with a smile. “Matteo added the humor and was in charge of the tunes before each game to get us locked in. Niko Millhouse was the bulldog and a great checker, while Vince Landau was our enforcer. Nate Kempton was a force between the pipes; you would never know he was just a freshman.”

The upperclassmen were also quick to comment on the efforts of the numerous middle schoolers on the squad. “They did not give us much size, but they always gave us their best,” commented Romero. “Joey (Swan) has great potential, plus he’s our best rapper! Cooper (Zabrowski) works so hard, and Derrick (Fedikovich) narrates the whole game from the bench!” Other middle schoolers included Enzo Federico, Kaelen Annes, and Noah Bush.

The team was excited to have made the first appearance in the FAA tournament since 2011, and they certainly have potential to grow in the near future.

Boys Basketball:

Probably no team experienced a greater swing in momentum during the season than Boys Basketball. Quick out of the blocks in November, the Hornets surprised everyone, including themselves, as they vaulted early on to the top of the Fairchester League. The Hornets were led by senior captains Carson Benigni (8pts., 4assts. average per game) and Tyler Callahan (9pts, 6 rebs.), while junior Matteo Crisanti emerged as a formidable big man, averaging 15 points and 8 rebounds per game. Fellow junior Alex Puhl and sophomore James Lafrance also caught fire in a number of games. Unfortunately, the Hornets were struck particularly hard by covid, with 9 of the 11 players missing various games during the season. A run of road losses down the stretch also contributed to an early end to the postseason.

“This season was a challenging one in many ways,” stated Coach Sean Doherty, “but I couldn’t be prouder of how our guys fought through it all and ended with a winning overall record of 10-9. We scored big wins against GFA, Brunswick, and eventual champs St. Luke’s. We also swept the series with the Hop, which was naturally very rewarding. I was so happy for this team, and in particular for our two seniors with what they had to go through in their high school careers dealing with covid issues over and over, and having such limited opportunities to play! And when they did play, they had to do it with masks on; but they never complained and gave all they had at every opportunity they received. The future is very bright. We have junior Jordan Vermiglio, a very passionate player, returning next year, plus sophomore Mason Gorham, who has a great shooting touch and will be a big impact player. Sophomores Alex Prezioso, Uchenna Onwuasoanya, and Will Sullivan, plus freshman Nate McCleary are all first year varsity players who gave us tons of hard work all year and each showed sparks that can help in future.”

Wrestling:

The 2021-22 wrestling team was few in numbers, but no squad displayed greater heart as they progressed through the season than the Hornet grapplers. Down the stretch, the team competed in three consecutive tournaments that tested their skills and endurance. The annual Fairchester League meet is traditionally loaded with strong wrestlers, yet HH battled impressively throughout the day, with Lambert Yan and Andrew Kormansky recording significant wins. Senior captain Jack Fuoco went 3-2 on the day, while junior Roman Minotti went 4-1 and earned FAA All-League Honorable Mention.

The Hornets earned comparable success at the subsequent Western New England Invitational Tournament, where Lambert Yan continued to surprise and impress in taking 6th, and Roman Minotti finished 4th. Jack Fuoco scrapped through one of the the traditionally toughest weight classes (138 lbs.) with a strong 4th place finish.

The season concluded with Kortmansky, Minotti, and Fuoco competing in the New England tournament hosted by Deerfield Academy, in which Roman and Jack came up just 1 match short of taking home medals. The day marked the end of an era of the Fuoco brothers - Ethan (Class of 2019), Max and Jack - representing HH since their middle school years. Coach Kiernan Griffin commented, “They take with them the rewards and values that come from competing in this arduous sport. These guys made it fun, and the support for them and the program from their family was heartwarming.” In reflecting upon returning to his alma mater to coach, Griffin added, “As a coach, this season's learning experiences were so, so rewarding. Balancing team and individual needs is quite a challenge. You develop a personal relationship with wrestling athletes like in no other sport that I have coached. Now that I am back, I am eager to extend wrestling offerings into the lower school physical education in order to help move the program forward.”

Girls Basketball:

Girls Hoops also had developed a winning combination of heart, skill, and teamwork to help carry them all the way to the league and New England championship finals. In the FAAs, they easily tamed the Rye Wildcats in the quarterfinals 70-26, and then declawed the GFA Dragons 72-32 in the semis, setting up a rematch with top seed St. Luke’s, the only league team to defeat them during the regular season. The Hornets got off to a strong start and took a deserved lead at the end of the first quarter thanks to tough defense and nice transition plays. Only two points separated the two teams at the half, and the Hall led 37-36 after three quarters. Unfortunately, the host Storm gathered momentum and pulled away midway through the fourth quarter to go onto win 54-45.

Undaunted, the team then turned their focus on the New England tournament. Seeded #2 in Class C, the Hornets enjoyed hosting the first two rounds. In the quarterfinals, they faced off against a talented Millbrook squad, but a relentless attack led by Jayda Johnson and suffocating defense, especially from Rayne Durant and Emma Olausson, helped defeat the stubborn Mustangs 78-57. Flushed with confidence, the Hornets then recorded a surprisingly convincing victory over a very strong #3 seed Cushing Academy, putting the Penguins on ice 71-57. With little time to savor the win, the Hornets quickly boarded the bus and traveled to the New Hampshire Lakes region to face off against top seeded Brewster Academy. Hopes were high, as Cushing had defeated Brewster during the regular season. Unfortunately, the host Bobcats proved too imposing and shut down the Hornet attack en route to a 57-37 win.

Despite having to settle twice for the silver, the Girls V had quite a memorable season, finishing at 22-5. They bid goodbye to a pair of passionate senior leaders in Ellie Moffat and Kendra Hill, but they know they will return next year as a favorite to go deep into the tournaments again.

Swimming:

The team that did take home the Gold was Swimming, earning their second consecutive New England crown in the most dramatic fashion. Though the team did not enjoy the kind of depth that had enabled them to brush aside foes in the 2019-2020 season, they had survived the graduation of key members, the departure of beloved coach Ken Pierson, and of course the lost 2020-2021 covid season, and still pulled out the victory at the end.

Leading into New Englands, both the boys and girls teams were CISAC champions, with the boys having earned their 10th consecutive win in a row, and the girls champions for first time since 2018. Both boys and girls teams had winning records (Girls 10-6 and Boys 10-3). The “small but mighty” NEPSAC roster consisted of 9 boys and 8 girls. Competing at the Cornerstone Aquatic Center in West Hartford, the Hornets created program history, a new school record, and multiple lifetime best performances. The Girls team placed seventh overall, while the Boys team secured a back-to-back New England championship title. They had jumped out to an impressive lead, but traditional rival Canterbury School came roaring back, picking up points especially where the Hornets could not fill all the entries to take what looked like an insurmountable lead. It all came down to the final event - the 400 freestyle relay. The foursome of Anthony and Michael Ferneini, Evan Huang, and Josh Tenedine took care of business, cruising to win by 5 seconds, while the Saints finished only 4th, enabling the Hornets to win the title by just 2 points: 337-335!

There were a number of individual highlights recorded at the meet. Eric and Evan Huang, Micah Mfuko, Patrick Cucchiarelli, Parker Jones, Anthony Ferneini, and Mason Rickey all recorded personal best times. In addition to recording personal best times, junior Isabella Ferneini set a school record time in the 100 breast (1:09.66). Senior captain Michael Ferneini was high scorer, taking first place in the 200 IM and 100 breast, and was declared the meet MVP and presented with the Babcock Award voted upon by the 13 participating NEPSAC coaches. A big shoutout also goes to the middle school swimmers who qualified and scored valuable points in their first performances at the NEPSAC: Jehan Mody, Alessandra Sticca, Stella Herzog, Sofia Correa, and Zhana Milani.

In acknowledging the terrific team effort, outstanding first year coach Jennifer Lyman pointed in particular to the contributions of a number of sibling swimmers. “This year we showcased how much we rely on the siblings not just to fill a roster but also to earn valuable points for the team. This season we had three sets of siblings: Gracie and Kai Chometa, Eric and Evan Huang, and Anthony, Isabella and Michal Ferneini. As each of their personalities are much different, they all unified together in what this sport represents. They rose to the occasion with a great competitive spirit, while at the end of every race, they thanked their opponents for pushing them. They are sportsmen through and through." Coach Lyman also acknowledged the efforts of senior captains Michael Ferneini and Josh Tenedine. “Both carry on fun traditions outside the pool, but make sure the work in the pool is done first. It has been great for the underclassmen to watch and look to emulate them. Versatility is important to earning points to ensure the team’s success. I can put both Josh and Michael anywhere, sprint freestyle, Individual Medley, breaststroke, butterfly. They truly represented our team motto this year - Whatever the Team Needs.”

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Winter Season Wrap-Up Team by Team